Toad by the Road: A Year in the Life of These Amazing Amphibians
From SLJ April 2007
Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal -- School Library Journal, 4/16/2007
RYDER, Joanne. Toad by the Road: A Year in the Life of These Amazing Amphibians. illus. by Maggie Kneen. 37p. CIP. Holt. Apr. 2007. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-7354-6. LC 2006015361.
PreS-Gr 2–Delightful verses and vivid watercolors provide an inventive introduction to toads. Grouped by season, the sections contain five to seven brief poems accompanied by full-bleed paintings or spot illustrations. In spring, males awaken from their long sleep to sing, "Puffing like balloons,/Blowing out their tunes"; migrating toads encounter dangers such as a hungry snake or automobile traffic ("Beware!/Please cross/The road/With wide-eyed care"); and tadpoles transform into toadlets. Summer is the time for eating insects ("My tongue is a tool….It’s long and it’s swift/And it’s covered with goo./I flick it at cricket/And stick him with glue"); croaking along with "The Thunder Toad" in the sky; and soaking up rain. As the weather changes in autumn, one toad molts while another camouflages itself beneath fallen leaves. Winter means digging a burrow ("Sheltered safe from ice and snow") and hibernating until spring. Written with simple language, rhythmic repetition, and flowing rhymes, the poems read aloud beautifully; they consistently mix interesting toad trivia with whimsy. Sentences printed in a smaller font provide additional facts. The artwork, which is realistic yet pleasingly soft-looking, depicts the animals in action, shows their habitat, and echoes the text’s sense of wonder. Like Joyce Sidman’s Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow (Houghton, 2006), Toad by the Road melds poetry, art, and information into an educational and imagination-stirring romp through nature.
